Japanese Supermarket Sales fall by 4.9% to a 21 year low in 2009

Supermarket sales in Japan in 2009 dropped 4.3 percent on a same- store basis to a 21-year low of 12.83 trillion yen amid the anemic economy, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Friday to record a 21 year low point.

The number represented the 13th consecutive year-on-year drop on a same-store basis and December was down 5% on a YOY basis.

This tendency led supermarket operators to cut back on the unit prices of commodities, with their sales performances plunging despite their efforts to hike sales, it said.

Sales of foodstuffs, the biggest revenue-earning sector for supermarkets, fell 2.6 percent to 8.07 trillion yen, while those of clothing dived 10.8 percent to 1.37 trillion yen.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9DCKM600&show_article=1